Hands down, out-and-out winner

This is the best street food I’ve had in Shanghai. I don’t mean to trivialise the earlier xiaolongbao experience, but these babies are superior simply because they are fried.

Very similar to the xiaolongbao — dumpling-like, steamed, with hot, soupy stock secreted inside. And damn crunchy along the bottom.

All the other people around me were on their own, too. As if you just nip in here for a quick fix when no one’s looking. Everyone else skilfully slurped up the dumpling sauce before munching through the dumpling skin. I made much more mess.